Page 161 - BLENDED LEARNING

economic downturn led to many clients expecting more from less, and Siemens
was no exception. With training budgets constricting we continued our push to find
solutions for our partner. Towards the end of 2010 (v5) the face-to-face hours were
down to 16 hours with 20 hours of material being delivered online, that included
a number of writing tasks. The face-to-face sessions occurred fortnightly for two
hours, and were an opportunity to react to, or set up, tasks online. We introduced a
forum that served as a virtual learning environment (VLE) and screencasts were still
used but links were posted as threads in the forum. This was cost effective for the
client, and far more flexible for the participants. Participants were able to participate
whether in the country, or overseas, whether working days or nights. The reduction
in face-to-face hours meant that there were considerable cost savings involved which
was one of the original motivations behind blended learning (Driscoll, 2002). For
us too, it was a good way to engage participants that did not overstretch our small
team’s limited resources too much.
Table 2: Summary of CBECs

Version Type Technology used Face-to- Notes
face hours
v1 (2004) General and n/a 48
Business English
v2 CBEC n/a 36 Addition of soft, work
skills component,
additional preparation
time for teacher.
v3 Feedback only Emails, screencasts 0 Skeleton self-study
of work tasks. programme. Screencasts as
Follow up links stand-alone bolt on to v2.
to material. Links and ‘further reading’/
tasks assigned as part of
screencasts.
v4 CBEC Screencasts of 36 Screencasts (+ checklists
set tasks. with written comments)
integrated into the
syllabus as feedback
on assessment.
v5 (2010) CBEC Forum as VLE, 12-16 Participants produced
screencasts of set written and spoken
tasks, portfolio tasks (presentations)
assessment. for portfolios. SC used
formatively.
Future v6 CBEC? Dependent on 20? Participants taught to use
organisation, and SC, or other tools. Emphasis
learner needs on continuing the dialogue
and context. after feedback.

Teaching methods and task types

Teachers mainly used a task-based approach on the CBEC, using real-life work tasks
as the basis for many activities. However, learners tired of doing work-related tasks
in addition to their actual work, and more variety was added to the later, online,
versions of the course where choice was offered. This in itself is another element

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